The Nation - News from May 21, 1989

Strong, shifting winds forced the Air Force to postpone the launch of a $65-million navigation satellite designed to tell U.S. and allied forces their location within 50 feet anywhere on the globe. The 128-foot, $30-million Delta 2 rocket had been scheduled for liftoff at 4:55 p.m. PDT Saturday at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, next to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The postponement was announced with the countdown holding at four minutes before blastoff. A new launch date was scheduled for 4:51 p.m. PDT today. Packed in the nose of the rocket is a NAVSTAR Global Positioning System satellite, which will enable military ships, planes, submarines and tanks to determine their location and keep precise track of their speed. The first such satellite was placed in orbit last February in the first flight of a Delta 2 rocket.